Numerator:Children who do not have qualifying responses on any of the five CSHCN Screener criteria; Children with qualifying responses on one or more of the five CSHCN Screener criteria

Revisions and Changes:Same as the 2007 and 2003 NSCH; may compare across survey years with special attention to the addition of cell phones in the 2011/12 NSCH sample. There was a location change between 2003 and 2007.

Additional Notes:Although the CSHCN Screener result (CSHCN) is provided in the 2011/12 NSCH public data file, we have included scoring syntax in order to illustrate how the CSHCN items are used to create component variables for each of the 5 domains and the final screener result. The NSCH uses the CSHCN Screener to identify children with special health care needs. The Screener is a five item, parent-reported tool designed to reflect the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s consequences-based definition of children with special health care needs. It identifies children across the range and diversity of childhood chronic conditions and special needs, allowing a more comprehensive and robust assessment of children's needs and health care system performance than is attainable by focusing on a single diagnosis or type of special need. This instrument has been used in several national surveys including the Promoting Healthy Development Survey, the CAHPS-CCC, the NSCH, the NS-CSHCN, and MEPS. The CSHCN Screener was developed by the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI). For more information, please visit the CAHMI website: cahmi@ohsu.edu

Treatment of Unknown Values:Unknown values (responses coded as 'refused', 'don't know', or system missing) are not included in the denominator when calculating prevalence estimates and weighted population counts displayed in the data query results table. In nearly every case, the proportion of unknown values is less than 1% and the exclusion of these values does not change the prevalence estimates (%) and only marginally affects the weighted population counts (Weighted Est.). Exceptions are noted in the form of a “Data Alert” at the bottom of a results table.

History and Development:The Maternal and Child Health Bureau leads the development of the NSCH survey and indicators, in collaboration with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and a national technical expert panel. The expert panel includes representatives from other federal agencies, state Title V leaders, family organizations, and child health researchers. Previously validated questions and scales are used when available. Respondents’ cognitive understanding of the survey questions is assessed during the pretest phase and revisions made as required. All final data components are verified by NCHS and DRC/CAHMI staff prior to public release. The samples in 2003 and 2007 were drawn by random digit dial telephone sampling. The 2011/12 survey included the addition of cell phones to the sample. This has implications for the comparability of items between 2007 and 2011/12. More information can be found in the “Learn About the Surveys” section of this website.

Tabular Data

How many children in the United States have special health care needs? (details)

Data Graph

Edit Search Criteria

With funding and direction from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the National Survey of Children’s Health was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. CAHMI is responsible for the analyses, interpretations, presentations and conclusions included on this site.